Fate of the Fang
by Draknal
Summary: What one assassin finds out about Nergal may change the Black Fang forever. Takes places before Nergal takes over the Black Fang. Chapter 5 is finally up. The trip begins, and memories return...
1. Chapter One: An Assassin's Troubles

Draknal: Hey there! My name is Draknal and this is my first fic ever! I hope you all enjoy it. On to the disclaimer and the story!

Raven: Draknal does not own Fire Emblem or any of the characters in it.

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**Fate of the Fang**

By: Draknal

**Chapter 1: "An Assassin's Troubles"**

**Bern**

A young man about the age of 19 stood outside the doorway of a small house. He had calm grey eyes and spiked teal hair. A grey cloak covered up most of his other distinguishable features. He went inside where there weretwo men waiting for him. The first had spiky brown hair and piercing brown eyes and looked relatively young. The second looked similar, but was taller and more muscular with clumped brown hair instead of spiky.

"I take it you were successful?" asked the first man.

Walking in and taking a seat the assassin replied, "Yes Master Lloyd, the target has been eliminated."

The man he was addressing gave him a stern look. "I told you, don't call me 'master' anymore; you are no longer my student. You are a fang and an equal, understood?"

"Yes," he replied not even bothering to look up.

"Well, our father, err… Brendan Reed, will be happy to hear that." The more muscular man corrected his mistake of acknowledging the leader of the Black Fang as his father.

"You've only been with us a few months, but you have really turned out well. You're an excellent assassin; you haven't failed to kill a target yet. Brendan has really taken a liking to you. But don't think that means you're any better than us."

The young assassin ignored whatever the man called Linus was saying. Instead he was looking over the contents of the cabin. What caught his eye was the table with weapons laying on it. They included a Wo Dao, a Silver Blade, and a hand-axe. He, of course, would not go anywhere without his trusty Killing Edge daggers. A sudden knock at the door jarred him out of his thoughts. Startled, Linus grabbed his silver blade and went to the answer it. Opening it slightly, he saw that the men outside bore the emblem of the fang. Knowing there was no threat; he opened the door and allowed them to come inside. The assassin carefully watched as the three figures came into view. They were all wearing thick black cloaks with hoods over their heads. They had no visible weapons on them, but from the way they walked or stood, he could tell. The man on the left used magic tomes, as his hand was always close to his chest. The one on the right used swords. The last man obviously used a bow, as a hump that must have been a quiver was protruding from the left side of his back. The men didn't bother seating themselves.

"Brendan Reed has requested the presence of the White Wolf, Mad Dog, and Grey Death," spoke the man on the right. Lloyd turned to the man.

"Where does he want us to meet him?"

The robed man pulled out a small piece of paper and handed it to him.

"So, he wishes you to meet him at the water temple." Lloyd looked at his brother and the assassin. "Well, if those are his wishes, then let us be going. Linus? Erimus?" The assassin looked up. "I am ready to leave whenever."

Lloyd knew that was coming. He never objected to being on the move. Lloyd's brother Linus, however, hated moving around so much over such far distances just to eliminate a target or two. Throughout the conversation, Lloyd noticed that Erimus was no his usual self. Erimus used to be in good spirits and was more open than was he was on this particular day. However, his recent mission ended differently this time.

_-Flashback-_

_Silently he ran through the dimly lit halls of the enormous mansion. The red tapestry hanging on the walls gave an ominous warning of what was to come. Quickly he reached his intended destination. He knew his target was right beyond the doors. He reached for his Killing Edge daggers. Using the element of surprise, he kicked in the door. They came off their hinges with a deafening bang._

_He dashed inside where a man was seated in a chair facing the now opened doorway. The man, startled by the intrusion, reached for his silver axe. But before he could even lay a finger on the axe, he felt two daggers pressed against his throat. _

_The assassin stared at the man. _

"_Unless you want me end your life sooner, I would stop right there."_

_The man gulped, but did not look any more nervous than when the door had been kicked in. Then he began to grin. _

"_What are you supposed to be? Another thief who wants to get his hands on my money? Ha! I commend you for getting into my mansion and making it this far." _

_The assassin narrowed his eyes. He readied himself to kill the man and end his mission when he heard loud footsteps coming from the hall. _

'_Those are too loud to be mercenaries or spearmen…no! It can't be!' He had to think quickly otherwise he knew this would be is last mission._

_A general followed by 5 knights arrived at the doorway. The general was the first to speak. _

"_You aren't going to kill him. You know full well that if you do you won't make it out of here alive"._

_Hearing this from the general only made the seated man smile more. _

"_Looks like your little assassination attempt failed. Put down the dagger and I might let you go in one piece." _

_Erimus knew he could not fail the fang, as this was his most important assignment yet. As soon as he sheathed his daggers the man took action. Jumping out of his chair, he yelled. _

"_Attack! Kill him! What do you buffoons think I am paying you for?" _

_With that said, the general and his men unleashed a volley of javelins. Being in such close proximities, they knew that there was no way the assassin could avoid them all. However, much to their dismay, the assassin was far more practical. Kicking over the desk where the man had previously been sitting, he jumped behind it to use it as a shield. _

'_I have to do something to get out of this,' he thought._

_With a loud '**Thump**'. Three javelins had planted themselves in the wall and three more had hit the desk. _

"_Did we get him?" The man asked._

"_I don't see him," said the general, "so we must have."_

_As soon as he said that Erimus jumped out and unsheathed his deadly daggers. With no weapons in their hands, the knights didn't have any way to defend themselves. They were easy prey for the assassin. Erimus leaped towards the knight on the General's immediate left. He quickly disposed of him by slashing his vulnerable neck. The man dropped cold and lifeless to the floor. This had created the opening needed, and he dashed from the room._

_By the time the General and his men had re-armed themselves they managed to reach the point where the assassin was waiting. His intended target had also armed himself with his silver axe and blade. The area was much narrower then where they had previously fought, so only one person at a time could come through, giving Erimus the advantage he needed. _

_Two knights took to the offensive but didn't get very far. They dropped dead before they even had a chance to attack. Now only the general, two knights and the target remained. He put away one of his daggers and pulled out a light brand from his cloak. Holding it up high, he unleashed a blinding light that disoriented his attackers and momentarily blinded them. All the general could do was retreat backwards while he told his remaining men to advance and kill the intruder._

_He took his employer back to the small room he was in before and waited there. His men never came back to him though. Fearing the worst, he pulled out his steel axe and an iron lance and waited for the assassin. Erimus was barely visible as he sprinted in at top speed. He was a blur and the general couldn't place where he was. He lunged forward with his spear, only to hit the brick floor. When he looked up the assassin was right in front of him, almost taunting him. Quickly (as quickly as a general can move) swung his steel axe at his target._

_Again he missed. This was the assassin's chance. He slashed at the general hitting him square in the chest. Unfortunately the attack didn't cause a great deal of damage because of the general's thick armor._

'_I can't believe I forgot!' thought the general. _

_He had been to preoccupied dodging the assassin's attack to remember._

"_You can't touch me with those pathetic butter knives! I am impervious to your attacks!" he boasted, laughing maniacally._

_The assassin only smirked. He stood straight up and put his daggers out to his sides. He looked almost as though he was concentrating. Now the general began to get really nervous. He swung his axe hoping to kill the blasted assassin. No such luck for him. Again he missed. Then he realized the assassin was no where to be found. _

"_But where?..." _

_He heard a voice form behind him. _

"_Here…" it said coldly. _

_The General stiffened at the feeling of a dagger sliding through his armor and into his lung. "How…?" he muttered, the body fell and poured forth a massive puddle of scarlet liquid. Now Erimus turned his attention to the only other figure in the room. _

"_Lord Marvius Frand, you have been sentenced to the Fang's judgment and will be executed mercilessly for the harm you have done to your people. You have raised taxes to the point where even the wealthy are having trouble paying, stolen property from peasants on a whim because you enjoyed watching them suffer. You murdered your own wife because she did not bear a male heir. You are a cowardly man who hides behind his money and power. For these and countless other sins you must die." _

_Lord Marvius, now utterly petrified, dropped his weapons._

"_Please!" He dropped to his knees and begged. "I'll do anything!"_

_Erimus put his dagger point first at the man's throat. _

"_Know your sins. Repent, and die…" he said without a shred of emotion in his voice._

_At that point in time he heard light footsteps behind him. He turned to see who it was while still keeping a dagger at the man's throat. It was a young girl, no more than the age of 7 or 8. Her big blue eyes looked at the sight that lay before her. She saw her daddy's soldiers lying everywhere while her father was at knife point. _

"_Daddy," she asked quietly, "what's going on?" _

"_What are you doing out of your room!" the man yelled. _

_Erimus looked at her regretfully. _

"_Your father must pay for the crimes he has committed. He is a very bad person." _

_Tears began to swell up in her eyes. _

"_No! My daddy is a good man, and he loves me and would never hurt anyone." _

_Erimus knew he could not kill this man in front of her, but he also knew he had to complete his mission. He was too caught up in his thoughts that he failed to notice Lord Frand sneaking his hand over to his axe. _

"_Die assassin!" _

_Lord Marvius threw his axe. Erimus was not fazed by this and simply moved out of the way. However, what happened next make him recoil. The axe **did** miss him, but it found another target… the girl standing behind him. It sunk deep into her mid-rift, killing her instantly. Her body fell limp to the floor. Furiously, he grabbed the man's throat and pinned him against the wall, a foot off of the ground with only his one hand, while his other was readied with a dagger. _

"_You fool… she was your daughter, your own flesh and blood, and you… you killed her."_

_The man sneered. "Being an assassin… ergh, I wouldn't… think cough something like that would invoke any emotion. She was a pathetic little worm who only ever got in my way. I only kept her alive so that my men believed that I was still a 'caring' leader and would follow my orders." _

_Erimus felt a flood rage at hearing these words. His usual calm grey eyes now blazed with an unimaginable fury, and he gripped his dagger tightly while still holding the man up to the wall. _

"_You fiend, rot eternally in the abyss!" _

_He swung his dagger at the beast with all of his might. It plunged through the man's throat. He released his grip on the monster only to find out that the body did not fall. The dagger had struck with such force that it not only pierced Lord Frand's throat, but the stone wall as well. A pool of blood spewed forth from the wound. Unfortunately he had died instantly. Still enraged, Erimus used his one free dagger to attack the man's vulnerable body. By the time he was finished venting out his anger on Lord Marvius the body was barely recognizable._

_He then walked over to the girl's body and pulled out the axe. He then threw it at Lord Marvius hitting him square in the chest.. Erimus took his daggers out of the man, wiped them off and proceeded to sheath them both. He silently crept out of the mansion._

–_End Flashback-_

"Erimus?"

He looked up to see Linus.

"What?"

Linus sighed.

"I said, we're done gathering our equipment, we're leaving."

The assassin soon regained his emotionless expression, and stood up.

"Fine, let's go."

End Chapter.

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Draknal: Phew The first chapter is done! Let me know what you thought of it. 

Karla: Don't be too harsh or you'll make him cry… and none of us need that happening again…

Draknal: You're mean.

Karla: I know. Smiles

R&R!


	2. Chapter 2: The Journey Ahead

Draknal: Alright! It's the moment you've all been waiting for! The second chapter is ready! It took a while since I was finishing up my last few days of the school year. I was pressed for time and all that.

Guy: Stop making excuses…

Draknal: Ex-squeeze me? I don't believe you had to go to school now did you?

Guy: I had to train with my sword!

Draknal: Yeah, a lot of work that takes, swing and cut stuff up.

Guy: Glares at Draknal and reaches for sword Oh Draknal…

Draknal: Wha- OH MY GOD!

Guy: How's this for swinging and cutting!

Draknal: ROLE THE FIC!

Raven: Draknal does not own Fire Emblem or any of the characters, only the ones he made up. And the plot too, that's his.

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**Fate of the Fang**

By: Draknal

**Chapter 2: "The Journey Ahead"**

_The water temple. Of all places, why do we have to meet there? _thought Erimus.

Usually when Brendan summoned them, it was to the Black Fang headquarters in Bern. The water temple was used only for special meetings or extremely important matters

"Erimus?" He glanced up to see Lloyd looking back at him. "You've been very quiet lately. Is anything wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. I've just, been doing a lot of thinking lately…" His words trailed off.

'_What could be so important that we must go there? Surely nothing is wrong, or we would have received urgent notice days ago.'_

"Man, how much farther do we have to go?" Lloyd whined, pulling Erimus from his thought.

"Patience brother, we crossed Bern's border a day ago. If we keep at this pace, then we should reach the temple in about two days time." Lloyd was used to his brother's complaints, but for the sake of his traveling companions, he felt he should say something to quiet him.

The three men that were sent to retrieve the warriors were also on the journey with them. Lloyd, Linus, and Erimus were quite capable of taking care of themselves, but the extra support was welcomed at any rate.

One of the black robed men looked up at the sky, "It's getting dark master Lloyd, I think we should set up camp for the night."

"I agree. Let's scout for a suitable place to set up camp." With that the six travelers split up and began to search the area.

Erimus couldn't help but get the feeling that the group was being watched.

Suddenly a deafening **"BOOM"** sounded throughout the forest. Erimus drew his daggers, and looked around for signs of any attackers, but instead saw a plume of smoke rising from where one of the other Black Fang members had gone.

He dashed off to find out what was happening. On the way he met up with Lloyd.

"Erimus, it seems we have some company." Lloyd knew that the assassin was already well aware.

"They've been following us ever since we left Bern", replied the assassin.

"So, you noticed too?"

The two of them arrived in a newly cleared area. Singed trees and shrubs lay in their wake. One of the robed men from earlier stood in the middle of the area, with his Elfire tome in hand. On the ground in front of him lay a body that was burnt beyond recognition.

"Aw man, I missed all the fun…" Linus had now arrived on the spot as well.

"Oh, but you haven't my friend! The party's only begun!" Bellowed an unknown voice.

A warrior stepped out from behind a tree. He leaned against it, folded his arms, and grinned.

"And who might you be?" asked Lloyd.

"The names Grendain, and you all are trespassing on my property!" replied the warrior. "This area belongs to me and my men."

Linus laughed. "So you're just a bunch of bandits?"

A frown appeared on the man's face. "Bandits? Simple bandits! How dare you! We are the most feared group of bandits this side of Elibe!"

Linus was holding back another laugh. "Sure you are… now just step aside before we decide to kill you instead." The threat was evident in his voice.

"That sounds like a challenge. You better watch your mouth you dog, or we'll be the one's doing the killing." Grendain was now completely serious.

Linus reached for his Silver Blade. "Well, if it's a fight you want then you've got it."

"Linus. Hold brother, put away your weapon." Lloyd stepped forward.

"I'd rather avoid senseless killing. You are not worth our time." He then proceeded to turn and walk away. "Come on Linus, Erimus. We're leaving."

"Take one more step and I'll call in my boys. Now turn and face me you coward." Grendain had now taken out his Silver Axe and gone into a fighting stance.

"Lloyd, just let me kill him! It won't take more than ten seconds."

Lloyd could tell his brother Linus was itching for a fight.

"I told you, I want to avoid bloodshed. I'll take this fight, and I won't even use my sword." Lloyd was confident in his abilities.

"Well well, aren't we gutsy?" laughed Grendain. "Son, if I were you I'd take out your weapon, otherwise you'll be cleaved in two after my first attack!"

"If you're so confident, then why don't you just attack and see for yourself. I need no weapon to beat you." Lloyd stated.

This angered Grendain all the more. 'Just who does this guy think he is?'

"Fine, but don't say I didn't give you fair enough warning!"

He lunged at Lloyd with his axe. Grendain swung his axe, but Lloyd easily ducked underneath of it.

"You got lucky!" he taunted. He furiously continued his assault on the swordmaster. He swung every which way, but Lloyd evaded him every time.

Thoroughly angered by his inability to land a blow on the rather quick swordmaster, he pulled out yet _another_ Silver Axe. Now he began to swing them both, but not simultaneously. He would attack once, knowing the swordmaster would easily evade it, then throw out his second attack when he started moving out of the way of the first attack.

This however, was also not a problem for Lloyd. To him this was just another training exercise of evasion. He mentally noted himself of the warrior's attack pattern. '_He'll swing left, and then use his second axe and attack to his right, where I will duck under his attack. This is getting boring.'_

Grendain stopped for a minute. He was obviously exhausted from his rather crude assault. He let out a laugh to try and show his opponents that he had more fight left. "Not too…bad young swordmaster" he said between breaths. "I didn't think you'd… last this long. But, if you think…I'm finished with you, then you're dead wrong!"

He now put away one Silver Axe and pulled out a Hand-Axe. "Let's go buddy, round two."

Lloyd smirked. "Whenever you're ready."

"Yeah…"

Grendain threw his hand-axe and then leapt into the air to attack Lloyd from above.

'_Heh. He can dodge and attack when it's coming straight at him, but how about one from in front, and another in the air?' _Grendain was positive his new strategy would defeat the swordmaster.

Much to everyone's surprise, Lloyd did not duck under the attack or side-step it. He jumped over it, and made mid-air contact with the incoming warrior in the form of a kick to the stomach.

Lloyd landed with ease. Grendain was not so lucky.

The warrior came crashing down headfirst into the ground.

"Ugh…" Grendain felt like someone had just smashed him over the head with a boulder.

"Now, if you don't mind we'll be on our way." Lloyd turned on his heel and walked away from the toppled warrior.

Or at least, it appeared he had been beaten.

The weak warrior pulled a bottle from his pocket and drank the elixir inside.

He stood up, although his head was still aching.

"Boy, we're not done." He had regained his confidence.

Lloyd turned around. "You can't win. You have seen that my skills are completely superior to yours."

Grendain didn't bother to waste anymore words. He was set on his goal of killing the swordmaster. 'I will not be made a fool of.'

He drew from his back, his secret weapon that he had been saving, a Silver Bow.

"Lloyd, you might want to finish up this battle soon. It's getting darker, and it will be hard to see those arrows, let alone dodge them in the dark." Linus was getting concerned for his brother.

Grendain notched an arrow and let it fly. Lloyd dove out of the way and rolled behind a tree.

"You can't hide forever!" The warrior knew he was right. He came closer to the tree Lloyd had gone behind.

Running around to the side he unleashed a stream of arrows. Lloyd dodged the first few with ease, but it was becoming harder to see the arrows.

He ran behind another tree farther away.

'_He can't be fairing any better than I am. He must be losing his vision in the dark too.' _At least, this is what Lloyd hoped.

One of the Black Fang members that watching the fight called out to Lloyd. "Master Lloyd! I will use a torch staff to light the area!"

"No you won't!" shouted Grendain. "This is a one-on-one match. No outside help is allowed for either person."

With that the match continued.

Lloyd was getting ready to take cover behind another tree where he could wait to ambush the warrior, when he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder.

'_What! How could I have been so careless as to let him hit his mark?' _

Blood began to leak from the arrow wound.

'_Wait a minute… That arrow came from behind me. But, he was in front of me when he yelled out just a minute ago. Either he's very fast or…"_

Erimus closed his eyes. _'He's cheating. There's no way a man of such poor skill could hit the White Wolf, especially in these conditions. The trees are too thick to get a clear shot. He is in front of Lloyd, and the shot came from behind him, and it's almost impossible to see.' _

Well, it was almost impossible to see, for people with an untrained eye. Being an assassin, Erimus was used to working in the dark. Even Lloyd and Linus, being members of the Black Fang, had some training in working in such dark conditions.

"Linus, this man is cheating. There's no way he could have hit Lloyd on his own." Erimus looked to Lloyd's brother for some response.

"What! That bastard. I knew we couldn't trust him. I'll kill him, and end this match right now!" Linus prepared to draw his Silver Blade.

He was about to unsheathe his blade when Erimus grabbed his wrist.

"This battle will end, but not by our hands." Erimus pulled out one of his daggers.

"Heh, what happened to 'Let's not interfere'?" Linus laughed.

Erimus grinned. "Oh, I'm not ending it, I'm just leveling the playing field."

He again closed his eyes, and listened with extreme concentration. He blocked out all noise that was around him. He was listening for something.

A few leaves rustled high up in a tree in the distance.

'_Hmm… no wonder you had such a clear shot on Lloyd, you're hiding up in a tree. But where exactly are you…'_

He heard light breathing, and then heard the person notch an arrow.

'_Gotcha.'_

With all his might, Erimus threw his dagger in the area where he thought his foe was hiding.

The dagger whirled through the air and into the branches of a tree not too far away from Lloyd's position.

The leaves in the tree rustled around for a moment, then something fell out of the tree, landing on the ground with a loud '**THUD'**.

Erimus turned to the Black Fang member who offered his assistance before.

He nodded to him. "Go ahead and light up the area."

The Sage pulled from his cloak a staff that had a large red sphere on it that burned with a dim light. "Torch" he yelled.

In an instant, the staff's headpiece ignited with an incredible light that illuminated the entire area.

The Black Fang members looked over to where Lloyd was. On the ground about twenty five feet or so away from him lay the body of a dead sniper with a silver bow still in his hands.

Lloyd looked at Grendain with a mild anger in his eyes. "So, you were cheating. There is just no honor with bandits."

"Grr…" The bandit was a bit nervous now that his strategy had been found out and put to stop.

Lloyd turned to the Sage with the Torch staff. "If you don't mind, I'd like to finish this fight fairly."

The Sage noticed the grin on his face and he complied with the command. He waved his hand over the staff and blew lightly on it. With that, the light radiating from it became extinguished.

Before Grendain had time to react, Lloyd had begun his attack.

He punched him in the chest, which knocked him against a tree. He then let loose a series of attacks that nearly crippled the warrior.

Grendain was now on the ground and in severe pain.

Lloyd used this opportunity to hide in the thick trees.

Painfully, he pulled himself up off the ground. Then he drew his Silver Axe and went after the swordmaster.

He thought he had heard him behind a tree he was at and attacked only to hit, thin air?

'_Where did he go? I know he was here!' _Grendain pondered on this for a second, and then looked around in case of an attack.

He was getting ready to move on, when out of the corner of his eye he noticed that the swordmaster was perched on a branch right above him.

Right as he was preparing to attack, Lloyd jumped down from his branch and greeted the warrior with a devastating roundhouse kick to the neck.

A sickening **"SNAP"** was heard, and he did not move again after that.

Lloyd walked over to his companions. He then noticed that the arrow was still lodged in his shoulder. Gritting his teeth, he pulled the arrow out. The Sage in the group, also being adept in healing arts, tended to him, even though Lloyd perceived it as a minor scratch.

He let out a sigh. "Well, now that that's taken care of, let's set up camp here, since it's already been cleared out."

The Black Fang Sage grinned, knowing that Lloyd was referring to his job with the Elfire tome.

Linus looked to his brother. "What if the other bandits in his group come looking for him?"

Erimus was the one to respond to that. "I don't think they'd be dumb enough to risk something like that in the dark, especially if their leader couldn't handle it."

"Lloyd, why didn't you let me or Erimus fight that guy? It would have been a whole lot quicker."

Lloyd laughed. "Well, who says you two get to have all the fun? You would have snapped the guy in two and Erimus would have just snuck up on him and slashed his neck. It would've been too easy for you."

"And it wasn't easy for you? You were holding back and you know it." Erimus started to laugh as well. It was something that he hadn't done in a while.

"Well, maybe just a bit."

"Lloyd, if you had used a weapon, you could have killed him in one stroke."

"That's true Erimus, but I needed to make sure my physical skills were still as good as ever."

Erimus responded by punching the swordmaster in the shoulder.

"Ouch! That's the injured one!" Lloyd yelled.

"Oh come now Lloyd, you're telling me that this hurts?" Linus began to poke Lloyd in the shoulder where he had been shot.

"Linus, that's really getting irritating…" Lloyd said through gritted teeth.

"So?"

**'WHACK'**

"Oww!"

Erimus simply laughed, and then headed for his tent.

"Oh, Erimus?"

"Yeah Lloyd?"

"Be ready to leave early tomorrow."

The assassin nodded, and went into his tent for some well deserved rest after a long day of traveling.

End Chapter-

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Draknal: Well, that's chapter 2! Sorry if some of you thought it was boring. The next chapter is where the plot really starts coming together. To all of you who reviewed, thank you and any suggestions will be taken into consideration. For my beta readers, don't worry I will make mention of you, but not until the end of the fic. I mean the VERY end. I will give one big butt thank you! I'll try to get chapter 3 up quickly.

Karla: R&R! We mean it! You don't need to be signed in to give a review for this fic now!


	3. Chapter 3: Watch Your Step

**Fate of the Fang**

By: Draknal

**Chapter 3: "Watch Your Step"**

Draknal: I am soooooo sorry my loyal reviewers! I apologize for taking so long to update this fic! But with all the trips and writer's block, I just couldn't…

Raven: -Whacks Draknal with his sword- Get on with it. Stop making excuses.

Karla: It's about time you updated.

Draknal: -Shrinks- I said I was sorry…

Guy: If this chapter is any good we might find it in our hearts to forgive you.

Draknal: YAY! That means I get a cookie! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the newest chapter of my fic. Disclaimer please!

Raven: Draknal does not own Fire Emblem, just the characters he made up and the plot.

Draknal: Roll it!

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Erimus awoke to the rumbling of thunder and falling rain. Looking outside his tent all he saw was a wall of rain. 

'Great' he thought. 'Another hindrance on our trip to the temple… It's bad enough that we are having to hike through the mountains.'

He laid back down on the cloth sheet he had set in his tent as a makeshift sleeping bag. 'It beats laying on the bare ground,' he figured.

It only seemed as though a few minutes had gone by when he heard someone outside of his tent.

"Erimus, are you awake?" He recognized it immediately as being Lloyd.

Erimus undid the flaps on his tent and let Lloyd in.

"Such terrible weather, and it came up out of nowhere. Have you been awake long, or did I just wake you?" questioned Lloyd.

Erimus shook his head. "No, I've been up for a while. Where's Linus?"

"Hmph, that oaf is still asleep. How this weather hasn't disturbed him I haven't the slightest clue."

"Lloyd, I think we should pack up camp and get moving."

Lloyd gave him a quizzical look. "Why? Surely you must be joking. We can't go anywhere in this weather. I believe it would be best to just wait this out."

Erimus let out a sigh. "Well, if we were to start moving now, we would arrive at the temple quicker, and by the looks of things, this storm isn't going to let up any time soon."

Lloyd knew he had a point, and started to consider what he suggested.

"Well, alright. I suppose we can pack up and move out. I'll go get Linus and the other members with us. Collect your things and prepare to leave."

Lloyd then turned and exited the tent. The wind started to pick up, and blew the flaps open, which allowed for rain to come blowing in as well.

After securing the tent flaps, Erimus turned his attention to his belongings that he had laid out in his tent. There was his pair of trusty killing edge daggers, a light brand, an elixir, his grey cloak, and an amulet that he always kept with him.

He stared at the amulet for the longest time. 'Well, hard to believe I still have this after all that has happened. You're the only thing that reminds me of my old life…' His mind started to stray, but the howling sound of the wind brought him back to his present situation.

He picked up the amulet and fastened around his neck then used his cloak to cover it.

It didn't take long for him to finish packing up the rest of his belongings.

Lloyd was not so fortunate in his task. He managed to get the other Black Fang members up and told them to pack up, but his brother would not budge.

"Linus, get up. We're preparing to leave."

The only response he got was a muffled "Mmph".

It wasn't until he had one of the other Black Fang members cast Fire on Linus' hair that he saw a reaction from him.

"Ah! Put it out!" screamed Linus as he ran outside to have the rain put out his now thoroughly singed hair.

"What in the world was that for!" yelled Linus.

"We're leaving Linus. Get packed up now."

Surprisingly enough, Linus did not argue with his brother's order, but packed up his weapons and supplies and prepared to leave.

After everyone was finished storing away with their equipment, they hid any tell tale signs that people had camped there and left.

The storm was as relentless as it had been earlier. The trees were swinging back and forth in the violent gales.

"Okay, now whose idea was it to pack up camp and leave?" asked Linus, now thoroughly annoyed to be trudging across mountains in a fierce storm.

"It was mine" responded Erimus. "Now stop complaining. You weren't arguing earlier when we told you to get packed up."

"That was when I figured the rain would let up. How far are we from the temple anyway?"

"Master Linus, we should reach the temple by the day's end if we keep going and don't stop for anything. If the weather lets up it will be sooner," came the short reply from one of the other Black Fang members.

* * *

"How long ago did we send word for them to come?" asked a large Warrior. The thick brown hair along with a scar across his face only added to his warrior status. 

The young Black Fang member who he had asked answered, "We sent out our men about a week ago Commander Reed. We calculated that it would take them about 3 days or so to get there and about the same amount of time to get back."

Brendan looked out a nearby window. 'This storm is most likely slowing them down a bit…' he thought.

"Would you like us to send out another party to find them?" asked the young Black Fang member.

Brendan turned to him, "No, they can take care of themselves. They know the dangers of the trip to this temple."

"But sir, what if-" he was cut off by Brendan holding up a hand to silence him. "You clearly do not know my sons and our newest assassin. They will come. Now, don't you have other matters to attend to?"

The young man thought for a second. "Ah, you're right. I apologize master Reed, but I must take my leave."

He turned on his heel and left Brendan staring out at the ravaging storm. 'No matter how skilled they may be they must still be careful. I hope for your safe return,' thought Brendan.

* * *

After having reached the top of the mountain they now began their descent down the other side. The sun was faintly showing through the clouds, but the never ending rain continued to fall. The thunder and lighting ceased a while back, but the trip down the mountain would still be dangerous to hike down because of the steepness of the slope along with the slick rocks that adorned their path. 

"Finally, that storm has let up" said Linus. "Look! I can see the temple from here!"

Sure enough, a good distance from the base of the mountain was a large stone structure that looked older than any they had ever seen. Its many columns rose from out of the lake in which encompassed the whole outside of the building. The entire form was surrounded completely by various foliage and trees but still managed to loom over the tops of some of the trees. A small stone pathway was the only access granted to this foreboding structure.

'Almost there' thought Erimus. 'Soon we'll see what all this is about.'

"We need to be careful" said Lloyd. "The mountain rocks are very loose after all of this rain."

"Yeah, yeah. Be careful, watch your step and all of that stuff. Let's just go already" said a very eager Linus.

The party started their hike down the mountain. Various trees lay in there path due to wet soil and strong winds from the earlier storm. They cautiously took steps and would choose alternate routes of travel when going around the debris left in their way.

A sudden, quick rumbling startled them.

"Wait, did you guys feel that?" asked Lloyd.

"Feel what?" Linus was to busy concentrating on getting down the mountain to notice.

"I felt it too," said Erimus. "We best be more careful when going over this terrain."

"Oh, please," said Linus. "You guys are just paranoid." He scoffed at them then jumped onto a rock. As soon as he hit it, the rock began to shift unbeknownst to him.

"Linus look out!" yelled Lloyd as he tackled his brother off of the rock, just as it gave way. They both watch as the rock flew down the side of the mountain. A deafening echo was heard as it reach its end at the bottom.

"I warned you!" scolded Lloyd. "Why must you be so arrogant?"

"Okay, look, no harm done. I'm okay and so are the others. And, thanks for saving my butt."

One of the three Black Fang members traveling with them let out a gasp. "Rockslide!"

Indeed, that one large rock that slid down the mountain had started a chain reaction which caused a large rockslide to ensue.

With no concern for caution, the six men set off down the mountain at a run.

Large boulders would go rolling by, some missing them only by inches. The Black Fang member who was a sage fired occasional Elfire spells back at the rocks, causing them to blow up into smaller less harmful stones.

They stayed ahead of the rockslide, until Lloyd, who was at the front of the group stopped dead in his tracks.

"Lloyd what's wrong? Keep going!" yelled Linus. Then after he caught up, he too stopped.

He looked where his brother was pointing. There was a large crevice in front of them, much too wide to jump, and too deep to even see the bottom.

"What do we do!" screamed one of the other Black Fang members. "We're going to die!"

Linus grabbed him by his shoulders and shook him yelling "Get a hold of yourself man! We're not going to die here! What do we do Lloyd?"

"You," he said addressing the Black Fang sniper with them. "Can you shoot an arrow into that ledge over there?"

Lloyd pointed to a rock ledge a good distance away.

"I could try…" he answered very unsure of himself.

He pulled out his Silver Bow and notched an arrow. Lloyd secured a rope around the end of the arrow. After seeing that the rope was ready the sniper let the arrow fly. It looked good, until it hit the ledge across from them and bounced off.

The oncoming rocks were starting to pound the group now. "I can't get a clean shot like this!" yelled the sniper, who was being pelted all over. "And even if I could get a good shot, the arrow wouldn't stick!"

Erimus turned to the sage, who was busy blasting away at monstrous rocks that were barreling towards them. "Use your fire magic and enchant the tip of his arrows. Lloyd and I will cover you until you are done. Then the three of us can then cover the sniper."

The man nodded in agreement, not having any better ideas. He held the arrow in his hands and began chanting. In the mean time, Erimus and Lloyd pulled out their Light Brands and began to blast the rocks.

When the spell was complete, the arrow head began to glow a magnificent red. "Do it!" yelled Erimus.

The sniper notched the arrow, took careful aim, and fired. It followed the same course as last time, until it hit the ledge. Instead of bouncing off, it acted like a pin being shoved into a pin cushion. It was firmly lodged into the ledge.

"Go! Hurry up and use the rope to get across the crevice!" yelled Lloyd, still shooting away at rocks.

Using a protruding root Linus secured the rope to their side of the crevice. After testing for taught-ness, he began his journey across the gorge. After making it across, he signaled for everyone else to follow. The sniper and the sage soon followed. Then it was Lloyd's turn. He made it over quicker than any of the others.

Erimus and the other Black Fang member, the swordmaster from earlier who freaked out, were the final ones to go across the rope.

The swordmaster was about to grab the rope and start his crossing, when he was hit by a series of rocks which carried him down the mountain.

"Erimus! Come on!" shouted Linus.

Knowing full well that he could not leave a member of the Fang behind, Erimus let go of the rope before he could start climbing. He went down the rockslide as well.

"No!" Lloyd was horrified by the decision Erimus had made. "We have to get to them!"

Running from a rockslide was one thing, but running through it? That was completely different.

Erimus had jumped on top of a large flat stone slab that was going down in the slide.

The swordmaster was a little ways in front of him. He knew he had to get to him and quick. Using his Light Brand, he blasted the rock in front of him and jumped off of the stone slab. He went tumbling forward and managed go sliding down on his back. The assassin could feel his cloak being ripped to shreds.

When he had caught up to the swordmaster he grabbed his arm and pulled him next to himself.

He knew they had to get out of the rockslide, or it would be the end of them. A large rock had positioned itself next to them. Pulling his Light Brand out again, he fired at the rock causing it to explode. The explosion launched the assassin and swordmaster to the side of the rockslide, which now passed them down the mountain.

However, the area they had landed on was still steep and slick. They went rolling down the slope again. Unlike the rockslide, this section of the mountain was covered with trees. The lucky Fang member was too panicked with himself to notice them. His head slammed hard against a tree, and he was out cold. Not too far away, Erimus' was rammed back first against a tree.

He let out a cry of pain. His back was burning, first from the rocks being smashed against his bare back, and then the tree.

Slowly, he made his way up to where the swordmaster lay. He was not moving, but he was breathing. Erimus let out a sigh of relief. The swordmaster had many cuts and gashes on his body and was bleeding profusely.

Erimus sat the swordmaster with his back against the trunk of the tree. Then he pulled out the Elixir he had with him, and forced it down the swordmaster's throat.

'He needs it more than me…' thought Erimus. 'I should have brought more than one though.'

The bleeding stopped after a minute or so, and the wounds began to close up.

'I wonder what Lloyd and the others are going to do…'

It had become very dark since the start of the rockslide. Lloyd and his group made their way down to the base of the mountain.

"Lloyd, we should get to the temple first, then send help so we have more people" said Linus.

"Linus, they might need help now, and later might be too late. We have to search for them," said Lloyd, concerned for his fellow Black Fang members.

"If only they could send a signal or start a fire or something, it might be easier to find them," Linus said in a most disappointed tone.

Erimus had noticed how dark it had become as well. He felt so weak, but could not go to sleep or give up just yet. He was still with the swordmaster, who had not yet woken up.

The assassin thought of what he could do to signal the others and get their attention. After a long time of pondering he figured on one thing he could do. Starting a fire was out of the question, because he could pass out at any time and the fire could get out of control, which would lead to the pointless deaths of both of them.

He stood up, but very slowly and very weakly. Erimus leaned against a tree for balance and he pulled out his Light Brand. The red pommel gem on it was glowing very dimly. 'I might only get one chance, so I have to make this count' thought Erimus. He thrust the Light Brand high into the air, and using the last of his strength, he fired a bright beam of light into the sky. With that, the pommel gem on the sword shattered, its magical energies exhausted.

"Lloyd, it's been almost 4 hours since we lost them, lets just go get more help. It's clear we won't find them…" suggested Linus.

Just then a bright light shot up from a forested area not far away from them.

"Look!" shouted one of the Black Fang members with them. "Might that be them?"

"Let's not waste time guessing. We head for that area now!" said Lloyd.

The group then set off to find the source of the beacon.

Erimus, finally convinced he had done all he could, gave into his weakness and collapsed on the ground. All went dark…

-End Chapter-

* * *

Draknal: What did you think! 

Raven, Karla, and Guy: -Mumble incoherently-

Draknal: WHAT!

Guy: Nothing! We said it was very good… for something that hasn't been updated in forever.

Draknal: I'll ignore that, just like how you will ignore the lack of your next paycheck!

Guy: What!

Draknal: Anyways. Please review and let me know what you thought. Please don't leave anything like "You made your character too powerful" or any crap like that. Thank you!

Karla: R&R! He needs to see some new reviews. Who knows what might happen if he doesn't get any…


	4. Chapter 4: Preparations and Memories

Draknal: Wow, took a while to update, but this is a good one. This chapter will help set up some events that take place later on in the story. We will also get a look at a bit of the assassin's past. Oooooo…

Raven: -Whacks Draknal with sword- Quit it and get on with it.

Draknal: -K.O.-

Karla: Um, Draknal? Yoo hoo? Uh, you better go to the disclaimer.

Guy: Draknal does not own Fire Emblem or any of its characters, just the plot of this story and the characters he made up.

Raven: That's my line! –K.O.'s Guy-

Karla: Role it!

* * *

**Fate of the Fang**

By: Draknal

**Chapter 4: "Preparations and Memories"**

"How is he doing?" asked a concerned Lloyd.

The cleric he addressed looked at him with sorrow filled eyes. "He's lucky you found him. These wounds are terrible, and we have to stop the loss of blood quickly before it's too late."

Erimus had been laid out on a bed in the healing section of the Black Fang Temple. His wounds were indeed terrible, as he suffered from several gashes in his back from the avalanche. Cuts and bruises also lined the parts of his arms and legs that did not have sufficient protection covering them. On top of it all, he had yet to regain consciousness.

It had been determined that he had broken his right arm, his left leg, and three ribs. His collar bone had been severely injured as well. This meant that he would be out of active operation status for weeks, perhaps even months if the wounds weren't treated immediately.

Commander Reed had been informed of his sons' return and the successful retrieval of Erimus and the other missing Black Fang member. He went down to the healing section of the temple to check on the assassin's status. When he arrived, he saw Lloyd assisting the cleric in bandaging the assassin's arms and legs.

Lloyd recognized his father's presence and informed him of Erimus' condition. "It's amazing he survived… a broken arm and leg, three ribs. And he's lost a great deal of blood."

Commander Reed stood in silence for a short while, watching his son aid the injured man. He too then began to assist in treating the assassin's wounds. Even though he was the Commander and leader of the Black Fang, he was a soldier nonetheless. He had a duty to his men, and his rank would not stop him from dirtying his hands to help another.

When his arms and legs had been taken care of, Erimus was to be moved into a sitting position so his midsection could be treated and bandaged. For this they had to remove his cloak and shirt, of which there was barely any left, due to the damage caused to them by the rock slide.

When they sat him up, Lloyd noticed a mark on his back that he then pointed out to his father.

"What is it?" he asked, baffled by what it meant.

Brendan Reed took a close look at the mark. It was the symbol of a wyvern with its wings drawn in, being crossed by a lance and an axe. It was located on the upper right section of his back. The mark was black, as if it had been burned into his skin.

"If I had to guess, I would say it was the seal of Bern, but…"

"But, what?" Lloyd wished to be enlightened on the subject.

Commander Reed then started again. "Well, it is slightly different from Bern's seal. Their seal has a wyvern with its wings open, crossed by two lances. I know not the purpose of this mark."

They set aside the importance or matter of the mark for the time being, and focused on getting the assassin bandaged. They were careful not to bind the wounds too tightly as to cause damage to the already painful wounds, but tight enough to help them close up quicker and prevent more loss of blood.

The cleric then pulled out her mend staff and cast its healing magic on Erimus. A blue light shone brightly from the tip of the staff, and its magical energy washed over the assassin.

After several seconds, the cleric lowered her staff, drained of energy at the moment. Using such powerful healing spells would exhaust any of the most powerful casters easily, as they are required to give up a portion of their energy to do so.

She looked at the Commander of the Black Fang and then to Lloyd. "I have done all that I can. Now his body must recover and revitalize naturally. My magic can only speed the process."

Commander Reed and Lloyd nodded in understanding and then left the room to let Erimus sleep undisturbed.

* * *

Commander Reed was in his private quarters when a knock came at his door. He opened the door to reveal the young black fang member from the other day, a gray haired, gray eyed shaman by the name of Aramin. (A/N he was the person in the last chapter that I kept calling, "the young Black Fang member".) 

"Yes, what is it Aramin?" Brendan Reed asked, wondering why he was to be disturbed.

"Sir, there is a messenger here that seeks the Commander of the Black Fang."

He pondered on what the messenger might want. 'I am not to receive any non-Fang messengers…'

"Commander Reed?" Aramin was still waiting for a response from his superior.

"Um, yes, tell him that I will see him shortly."

Aramin gave him a salute and left the room, his green shaman garbs trailing behind him.

Commander Reed left his quarters minutes later to meet with the messenger. He walked into a secluded room in the inner area of the temple, where the messenger had already been seated.

"Who are you and what business do you have with the Black Fang?" questioned Brendan Reed.

The man stood up at once and bowed. "Good sir, I am but a messenger. My lord wishes to arrange a meeting between the two of you."

Brendan frowned after hearing this last comment. "The Black Fang are not for hire. We stand for justice, and are not in league with lords or nobleman."

The messenger began to look worried, afraid that he might blunder in his assignment to set up a meeting. "Oh no, I meant nothing by that sir! He also stands for justice and only wishes to do good in this world. He would see it beneficial to set up a meeting so that an alliance of sorts may be formed… only with your approval of course…"

After taking a moment to deliberate, Brendan turned to the messenger. "Tell your lord that he shall have his meeting. We shall arrange it later, for now just let him know that we shall have audience with him." He wasn't sure why the Lord would want a meeting, but he was going to find out one way or another.

The messenger gave a relieved smile. "Thank you sir! My lord will be most pleased to hear this. You can expect a messenger in a few weeks to retrieve information on the assigned meeting."

Brendan began to leave the room after waving a dismissing hand, "Yes of course, now be on your way."

The messenger left the temple to relay the message as quickly as he could. Brendan headed to his sons and officers and consulted them on the would-be meeting.

Lloyd approached his father with Linus in tow. Both of them looked rather concerned. Upon noticing this, the Commander asked what was troubling them.

"Well, Linus and I have our doubts about this meeting. How did that messenger know the location of this base? We only disclose the location of the temple to higher ranked members of the Black Fang."

"This has me puzzled as well," Brendan admitted. "We will need to be careful in these next few weeks until we can establish a firm connection with this 'lord' who has taken interest in us."

* * *

Brendan assembled his select council members in the conference room later so they could decide on the details of the supposed 'meeting'. 

The discussion room was located on the top floor of the temple behind two large marble doors. Guards were posted outside of the room to keep unwanted intrusions and interruptions out. The room itself was comparably large for a meeting area. It was a square room with very few windows, which provided the majority of the light. There were marble support columns that came through the floor in different parts of the room.

In the center of the room was a rectangular table made of marble, with eleven seats around it. The head of the table was where Brendan Reed took his seat as Commander. Going down the table, on the left side was Lloyd, and across from him sat Linus. After Lloyd was Aramin, who was a key advisor to Brendan Reed. Although he was young, he had a great deal of experience. Because he protested violence and killing, he took up an area of expertise in advisory.

The seat directly across form Aramin was empty, as this was where Erimus was normally seated. But, with him still in a critical condition, he was to be absent from the meeting. The last six chairs were filled with the leading officers of each of the main Black Fang bases.

In Elibe, there were seven main Black Fang bases. The first one, and also the most heavily defended and secretive being the water temple, of which Brendan Reed headed. The other locations were an ice fortress, and an underground facility, both located in Bern. In Etruria, there were two bases disguised as training schools, since Etruria was better commanded and more carefully watched by its government than the larger nation of Bern. Last, there were 2 bases in Lycia. The first base was a fortress close to the proximity of Pherae, and the other was located in the port city of Badon. Needless to say, the Black Fang had a firm grip in every part of Elibe.

Since Brendan Reed was only one man, he chose various outstanding members of the Fang to head each location. Each had distinguished themselves apart from all of the other members of the Black Fang. In addition to heading the main bases of the Black Fang, they also received a seat as part of Brendan Reed's inner council.

Once he was sure that everyone had arrived and taken their place, Brendan started.

"We have recently been informed by a messenger that his lord has taken an interest in the Black Fang. The messenger departed form here not too long ago. How he found this base, we do not know. We also do not know if this person's lord or master has taken interest in us to create an alliance, or," he paused, "for other reasons." He stopped to see the reaction from his council members.

Lloyd and Linus had nothing to say at the moment, nor did they look worried as they had already been informed of this. The other seven members present began to murmur and chat among one another about the messenger.

When the discussion died down, Brendan continued. "I was told that the intentions of this person's lord are in the right. They apparently wish to form and an alliance of some sort with us."

Alexander, one of the members of the council, stood. "We cannot make alliances with outside beings! This would only weaken our organization and open ourselves up to being backstabbed!"

The other members began to nod in agreement.

Lloyd protested what the man had said. "We have yet to meet with them and discover their true intentions, yes. But, we must give them a chance so we can hear what they have to say. It could be most beneficial to us. I am not saying we should just allow them to join us with open arms, but that we should give them a chance. It would be wise to do so cautiously though."

"Caution can be easily thrown to the wind by foolhardiness! Friendships, like alliances, take time to be forged, while trust can be broken in one false action" Jeremiah, leader of the ice fortress base pointed out.

Linus joined in to defend his brother. "We are the Black Fang. We would not allow ourselves to fall before some false alliance. If they were to betray us in some way, we would just bring the full strength of our group down upon them! Or, do you doubt your own strength and the strength of this organization?"

Whatever the other members of the council were about to say was quickly put to rest, as none of them wished to insult the Black Fang by doubting its power.

Brendan Reed grinned at the effect of his younger son's remark. "Well, I have heard most of what you have to say. Aramin, what of you? What is your council on this matter?"

"Well sir, I agree with each of the council members one way or another. As Alexander pointed out, we cannot make ourselves vulnerable, but as Lloyd said, this could be a valuable opportunity for an alliance. It could be most beneficial to us. I believe it would be in our best interest if we allow this… 'exchange' to take place. However, we must make sure to keep our guard up until we know their true intentions."

Satisfied with what he had heard from everyone, Brendan decided it was about time to organize the meeting. "If no one has anything to add, we must set a date for this meeting to take place."

After negotiating the meeting date and place, it was finally decided that it would take place in 4 weeks during the next full moon, in the back room of a pub in Laus. Etruria and Bern were crawling with spies and were kept under close observation, so they were ruled out, which left a place in Lycia as the choice. The reason for choosing Laus, out of all of the other places in Lycia, was that the ruling figure there did not pay much attention to bandits, as miniscule a threat as they are, so what would they care if a few cloaked strangers met in a bar.

Within the week, the same messenger from before arrived at the temple. At Brendan's orders, Aramin gave the messenger the instructions for the meeting place and the date.

* * *

Aramin was then assigned to check the condition of Erimus. He went to the healing section of the temple to check on the assassin. When he entered the room, he noticed that the cleric who had attended to Erimus before was still there, making sure that nothing happened. 

After a minute or so, she noticed the shaman's presence. "Yes, can I help you?"

"I was sent to check on Erimus. Has his condition changed?"

The cleric walked over to Erimus. "As you can see, he's become more stable. His health does seem to be improving."

Aramin looked to the bed ridden assassin. He saw his chest rise and fall, and knew the cleric was telling the truth. His breathing had become more steady, and his wounds had begun to heal quite nicely. All he needed was some rest.

"Thank you, I shall report this to Commander Reed at once." Aramin then left the room, only to come face to face with Lloyd and Linus.

"How's he doing?" Lloyd inquired.

"His condition hasn't changed much, but it has improved. He just needs a long rest."

"That bum. He gets a few broken bones, and now he gets to lie in bed all day for a few weeks" Linus joked.

"Heh, well, I must report to Commander Reed." Aramin then walked off towards the Commander's chambers.

"So he's doing better?" Commander Reed asked.

"Yes sir. His health is slowly returning to him. He might be able to attend the meeting at this rate of recovery."

"Thank you Aramin, that is all."

The shaman saluted his Commander, then left to go attend to his other duties.

* * *

In the dark void of unconsciousness, Erimus could hear voices of a distant past… 

'Here, take this. Always keep it with you as a reminder.'

'Brother no! Where are they taking you?'

'Be strong, and don't ever forget. You have to live on.'

Erimus began to cringe and shudder violently in his bed. His actions alarmed the cleric, who could not get him to calm down. She called for help and Lloyd and Linus, as well as other members of the Black Fang came in to see what was going on.

Erimus was calling out and yelling, but he was not aware of his actions.

Lloyd and Linus tried to pin him down without hurting him so that he might stop.

Then he began to yell louder. "No! Don't let them take me! Help! Please!"

Brendan Reed came running in. "What is going on? What's happening to him?"

The cleric looked at her Commander while trying to help restrain the assassin. "We don't know what's happening to him! He won't stop flailing around! He seems as if he's in pain!"

"Do anything you can to help him! Have you tried your staves?" he asked.

"I have tried sir. They don't work" she replied.

'Ha ha ha… Now you have seen what happens to those…'

'No…'

The assassin stopped flailing around and he was again steady. Although he was calmed down and again resting, the people in the room saw a stream of tears running down his face.

Lloyd turned to the cleric. "What happened to him…"

"I wish I could tell you…" was her only response.

They decided it would be best to clear the room and again let the assassin rest in silence.

-End Chapter-

* * *

Draknal: I'm sorry I took so long to update this thing. I finally got some inspiration in the form of a song. 

Guy: At least you didn't wait as long as you did _last_ time.

Raven: I say we beat him this time so he _doesn't_ forget to update quicker.

Draknal: Umm… REVIEW PLEASE!

-Beating can be heard in the background-

Karla: Please review his fic. He needs to get some to keep him inspired. If he doesn't think anyone likes the fic, he might do something drastic!

Draknal: AARGH!

* * *

"**Reviewer Responses"**

**Dairokkan:** Yes, indeed. Beware the author and my 1337n3ss!

**Nightmare3:** Probe! Oh god! NOT THE PROBE AGAIN! Heh, I will try to update more often.

**FenixPhoenix: **Thank you so much for the 'as always' good review. I enjoy getting suggestions on writing from you. It only helps to make me a better author!

**Aramin RVN:** Hope _you_ especially liked this chapter. And as for your comment in the last review, well, hehehe. Looks like the joke is on you. Keep reading please!

**SubStandardDeviation:** OH GOD! AN ENGLISH TEACHER! HIDE THE STORY! Just kidding. I liked your review. And I hope there was enough damage for you! ) He's not invincible, trust me.

**RyuKami:** I will continue to write this just because you asked me to! I love it when reviewers appreciate the hard work I put into these stories!

**Gingy Mittens: **Thank you so much for reviewing! There will be plenty of suspense in the next chapter. I hope you keep reading!


	5. Chapter 5: Departure and Struggle

Draknal: Ah, I'm finally back! After such a long wait I am proud to bring you chapter 5 in this story!

Karla: Well you certainly took long enough with it.

Guy: Yeah seriously, so much for updating sooner.

Draknal: I'm trying! I need help! I need PAA assistance!

Karla and Guy: PAA?

Draknal: Procrastinating Authors Anonymous!

Karla: Can we get on with it already?

Draknal: Um sure, disclaimer please!

Raven: Draknal does not own Fire Emblem or its characters, only the plot and made up characters of this story.

Draknal: Roll it!

(A/N: Special Thanks to my proofreader, Raven6)

* * *

**Fate of the Fang**

By: Draknal

**Chapter 5: "Departure and Struggle"**

The time for the meeting had arrived sooner than anyone had expected. Brendan Reed was to assemble the men that would be going with him, and depart.

Erimus had regained consciousness during the time leading up to the day of departure. He had also healed up well, but not enough so that he could go on missions. However, he begged to differ.

"Sir, please allow me to go with you," he pleaded.

Commander Reed looked at the assassin, who was still bedridden. "No, you will remain here and rest. Lloyd, Linus, Aramin, and I will head to the designated meeting place. Do not worry, we are more than capable of protecting ourselves." He chuckled at the last comment.

"But Commander Reed," he started, "just allow me to- urgh!" He grabbed his side in pain.

"You see? You still need to rest. We will only be gone for a short while. There will be other important things for you to do once you have regained your strength." Brendan then left the room, and went to collect the people he was to take with him.

Lloyd, Linus, Aramin, and Brendan Reed soon departed form the temple. They were each wearing brown traveler's cloaks that bore the symbol of the fang. There supplies were few, since the trip should only take two days. Jeremiah was left in charge of the temple, sitting in for Brendan.

The group traveled in silence for the most part. Each person was wrapped up in their own thoughts. Aramin finally decided to break the silence. "So, what do we know about this person we are supposed to be meeting?"

He received no answer at first. Brendan spoke up and gave him a reply, "To be honest, we have hardly any information on this person. The only _factual _information we have on him is his name, which is Nergal. The rest we have received from various intelligence reports. He supposedly leads a vigilante group that protects the weak against tyranny, much like we do."

They continued to walk in silence again after that. Each of them was as prepared as they could have been. Their weapons were at the ready in case any trouble arose on the way, and they had enough supplies for the trip to Laus, which would take three days on foot to get there, and three to get back.

x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x

Erimus was unable to fall asleep, as he had been doing nothing _but_ that for the past few weeks. He was growing tired of the same setting, that one room which he had been 'confined' to. The ceiling that he had now grown accustomed to, was now staring back at him, as he lay on his back.

'I can't take it anymore…' the assassin thought. 'I have to get up and do something…'

He sighed inwardly, knowing that there was almost no chance of that, due to orders that he was to stay in bed until he had completely healed.

'Well, they don't have to know…' he grinned.

Using what strength he could muster, he picked himself up off of the bed and stumbled to the table in his room. He hadn't walked for a while, so his legs had to adjust. Knowing that the cleric who was assigned to his room would be coming by later, he scribbled a note and left it on the table, so she wouldn't be alarmed when she found he was missing.

However, before he left the room he noticed his appearance of dress… or lack thereof.

"Damn… I guess I can't go walking around like this…" he grumbled.

Looking around the room, he noticed a brown cloak on the back of a chair. It was most likely there for him to take with him on the trip to the meeting place, if he had fully recovered by then.

Wrapping it around himself, he donned its hood, so hopefully no one would realize who it was as he walked through the Black Fang Headquarters.

He passed very few people in the halls, as it was still the early hours of the morning, which was a good thing since his injuries were making him move at a slower pace. Making his way to the third floor, he headed for his room.

Erimus made sure that he was quiet in entering his room. Upon entering his room, he removed the cloak that he had 'borrowed'. He went to his closet and pulled out one of his own cloaks. That was then accompanied by a pair of loose fitting grey pants, and a black sleeveless shirt that he normally wore. After putting those on, he put the cloak overtop, as was customary for him.

Something was missing though… he could tell. His pendant! It wasn't on him when he woke up. The lack of it began to worry him.

'Did I lose it in the rockslide?'

However, out of the corner of his eye he spied a gleam of silver. His pendant had been removed from him and set on his table next to his bed.

Relieved, he walked over to the table and picked up its contents. Then, carefully he placed the pendant back around his neck… right where it belonged.

'I really need to get a bath... I've been out of it for so long and I reek...'

Upon deciding this, the assassin figured he could probably use the private wash chamber. It was early, and the Commander had already left... so who was there to stop him?

The private wash chamber was for officers and head figures of the Black Fang only. He knew this, but figured he could get in a quick wash before too many other people were up and about.

x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x

The trip to Laus was going to be long and uneventful, and knowing this, Linus was bored out of his mind.

"Why did we have to set up this stupid meeting all the way in Laus? Surely there was some place closer we could have chosen," he whined.

"There are too many prying eyes and ears in Bern, and the same goes for most of the other locations we could have chosen from. Laus has terrible law enforcement when it comes to bandits, so they obviously won't be busy keeping an eye on some random strangers. We can get complete privacy in Laus, hopefully," Aramin commented.

"Which is exactly why we chose Laus," added Brendan.

"Even with minimal interference from Laus authorities, we still need to be discreet." Lloyd knew better than to assume that everything would go smoothly. They had to be ready just in case...

Linus was still convinced that the trip didn't have to be _this _boring. "Well, when we set up camp for the night, do you think we could train for a bit?"

"We need to conserve our strength for the trip. It would be best not to overexert ourselves," came Brendan's reply.

"Well, what if we just train for a _little _bit?" Linus inquired. "I have to do _something _to keep myself occupied. I'm a warrior! I need to keep sharp!"

Linus' whining was starting to get on Aramin's nerves. "If you will kindly keep quiet until we set up camp, I'll train with you."

The younger Reed brother scoffed at this. "As if your magic would be able to keep up with my sword skills."

Anyone paying close enough attention to the shaman would have seen him visibly twitch after hearing this remark.

'We'll see how long you last you arrogant, bellyaching fool,' was his thought at the moment.

After that, he started fingering his Flux tome, in anticipation of the "training" that was to take place later.

Lloyd exchanged a look with his father that said, 'Linus is screwed now.'

It was one thing to insult magic, but it was another to insult _his _field of magic. Aramin took great pride in the elder magic that he practiced. Insulting _it _was as bad as a slap to the face. He would need to make sure that Linus realized that.

x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x

Erimus made his way to the wash chambers with little effort. However, he soon came to discover that the room had been locked. That was of course no problem for him.

'One little lock? Is that the best they can do?' he thought to himself.

Pulling a lock-pick from his cloak, he made quick work of the room's only defense from intruders. Steam issued forth from the room as the assassin slid the door open.

He quickly made his way into the room and closed off the door. Making sure that it had once again been locked, he took a moment to actually observe the room's setup.

The floor, as well as the rest of the room, was made of a fine marble. A large steaming pool took up the center of the room, which had two marble columns jutting up to support the ceiling. The room had three windows along the wall to allow some light into the room.

There were a few chairs and tables along the sides of the pool, and in the far corner there were groups of storage cubbies, built into the wall. Well, it made sense. No one would want to just throw their clothing and other belongings down until they were finished.

'Well, Linus is an exception to that…'

It was true, the younger Reed brother was quite lazy in that aspect. And he was _also _very sloppy as opposed to his older brother.

After folding his clothes and cloak, he deposited them into one of the small cubbies and made his way over to the pool. The assassin lowered himself into the heated water, tensing as the scalding liquid made contact with his skin. He adjusted to the water quickly though.

'Wow, the officers have no idea how good they have it,' he thought as he let himself relax.

He had refused to part with his pendant, so he brought it with him into the pool. Holding onto it, he looked over its delicate features. The back was completely smooth, save the names that were etched into it, and the front was carefully engraved with different designs.

Running his thumb over the front of the pendant, he thought about its significance to him. How long had it been since he had received it? Flipping it over, he read the names on the back of it.

"Daniel, Elise, Derrek, Erimus…"

Every time he read the names it sent a chill down his spine. Memories of _that _day came to mind. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't repress the memories that came up.

Closing his eyes, he tried to concentrate on the warm bath. However, the warmth only helped to lull him to sleep, where he was once again haunted by memories of the past.

x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x

(A/N: This is portrayed as though it is being seen out of a younger Erimus' eyes.)

_A man and a woman were frantically running up to him telling him to be brave. They were his parents, and they looked worried. Something was going happen._

_The sound of clanking armor was heard all around. There were soldiers… dozens of them. They broke down the door and stormed the house. His mother and father were grabbed, and then they were dragged from the house._

_There was a boy who looked like he was about seventeen. He knelt in front of him and took a pendant from around his neck and handed it to him._

"_Erimus, take this. Keep it with you always, as a reminder. Never forget this day."_

_The boy then turned on the guards that were attempting to restrain him and attacked the closest one with his fist. The soldier reared in pain and tumbled backwards. Other guards were on top of the boy in seconds. They began beating him, to no end…_

_He couldn't take it anymore. He ran to his brother shouting, "Derrek! I'm coming! Get off my brother!"_

_He was seized from behind. "Where do you think you're going runt?"_

"_Let me go! Derrek!" he cried, but to no avail._

_His brother was soon being dragged out of the house, beaten and bloodied. He was in so much pain… and there was nothing he could do to help him._

"_Get going!" the guard detaining him yelled. The soldier then pushed him forward._

_He hit the ground and curled up. 'Mom… dad… brother… why is this happening?'_

"_Get up you worm," the guard said to him, before kicking him roughly in the side. When he refused to get up, the guard pulled Erimus up by his collar. _

_After fixing his grip so it was on the boy's neck, the soldier began hauling him out of the house as well. He took one last look at the house he had grown up in, as the guards set it ablaze…_

x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x

"No!" Erimus shouted as he suddenly came back to consciousness.

Looking at his surroundings, the assassin found that he was still in the bathing chambers. Figuring that he had spent enough time soaking in the cleansing waters, he hoisted himself up out of the pool and grabbed a towel from a nearby table.

'I better get my stuff on and get out of here before it gets much later.'

Heading over to where he had stored his clothes, he found that they were no longer where he had left them.

'What the…? I'm sure that I had put them here,' he thought.

Looking over to the entrance to the room, he found that the door was still closed, and in that sense it was still locked. So what could have-

"Looking for something?" a voice asked from across the room.

Whipping around quickly, the assassin soon found himself looking at the Hurricane of the Black Fang. He was seated at a table at the far end of the room. "Legault, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," the thief shot back. "You know, I figured that it was pretty clear when it was stated that only officers and important members of the Black Fang could make use of this wash chamber."

The assassin's gaze fell from Legault to the objects sitting on the table in front of him. The thief followed his gaze down to the pile of clothes.

"Oh, I'm sorry, are these yours? I happened to come across these when I was taking a look in this room, after noticing that its lock had been picked."

"Legault, hand them over," Erimus growled, "Or else…"

The thief cocked an eyebrow. "Or else, you say. Now, did you just threaten one of the Four Fangs?"

"I- No…" he replied through gritted teeth.

Legault was indeed one of the Four Fangs, a group of elite Black Fang members who, when fighting alongside one another, were said to be invincible. To talk up, or talk back to one of them was to show insubordination.

The first member of the current "Four Fangs" was Legault, a thief whose skills were unmatched by any other person in the Black Fang. No lock could stand up to his ability, no item was safe from his cunning and swift hands, and he was a master in stealth.

Next there were the Reed brothers, Lloyd and Linus. Anyone who had seen their father, Brendan Reed fight, knew what natural talent they had inherited. The two were a perfect duo in combat and could take down just about anyone.

The last member was Uhai, a nomad from the plains of Sacae. He was deadly with a bow, and a sword as well. His deadliness was only increased by the fact that he could fight while mounted on his steed as well.

They were the Champions of the Black Fang, and they were as deadly as they came. Other members of the Black Fang looked up to them for encouragement. No one would think twice about running from combat while in the presence of the Four Fangs. They were a force to be reckoned with.

"Legault, just hand over my things. Please."

Picking up the assassin's clothes, said thief threw them over to Erimus.

"Just make sure you lock up on your way out," Legault said before heading out of the room.

He poked his head in for one last comment, which was, "Oh, and I think a certain cleric is busy looking for you." He then made his exit.

'Shit…' was all Erimus could think. Quickly changing into his clothes, he made his way out of the room, being sure to re-lock it.

x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x

Brendan and his companions had made camp for the day, seeing as how they had been traveling for quite some time. It was about midday, and they had made good time. They had two more days to get to Laus, so it couldn't hurt to stop early for the day.

Each person worked on setting up their own tent for the evening later on. Linus was the first one finished, and he eagerly watched Aramin as he worked on his _own _tent.

Feeling as though he was being watched, the shaman turned around and was greeted by the sight of the younger Reed brother. "What do you want?" he asked.

"Oh nothing, I'm just waiting for you to finish with your tent so I can kick your ass," he replied confidently.

After fastening the last support string on his tent, the shaman stood and stretched. "Alright, I'm ready. Just let me grab my tome."

"Both of you will be required to use training weapons," boomed the voice of Brendan Reed, who was sitting on one of the packs they had been carrying with them.

"No one is to be harmed during this exercise. So _you _Linus, will be required to use _this," _he said as he tossed a wooden sword to his son.

Looking from the wooden sword to the tome in Aramin's hand he asked, "What about him? Where's _his_ training weapon?"

"Are you suggesting that I should use a wooden tome?" inquired Aramin as he cocked one of his eyebrows.

Brendan let out a small chuckle at the shaman's joke. A wooden weapon versus a Flux tome, this was going to be interesting.

Each combatant took up a stance, preparing for the fight to begin. Brendan raised one his hands in the air. After counting down, he dropped it and shouted, "Begin!"

Linus darted forward at full speed towards his opponent. 'No way I'm gonna lose to him,' he thought.

Aramin concentrated on his rapidly approaching enemy and began chanting. When Linus was within range, he launched his first spell, and sent a ball of black energy at the swordsman.

Linus easily dodged the attack by spinning around it. 'If that's the best he can do then this is going to be a piece of cake.'

Swinging his sword as hard as he could, Linus attempted to remove the shaman's head. Seeing the obvious attack, Aramin ducked underneath of it and launched a second spell.

Jumping with all of his might, Linus jumped clear over the attack, as well as the shaman. Before he landed, he kicked the shaman in the back and sent him tumbling forward.

While rolling, Aramin launched a Flux spell at the swordsman, which hit him in the back right as he landed from his previous attack. He too was sent sprawling forward.

By the time Aramin had recovered from the previous attack, Linus was already upon him once again. Dodging swing after swing, the shaman knew that he would have to take to the offensive. Gathering up a blast of energy, he gripped it tight in his hand until the aura of energy engulfed his hand.

He waited for an opening in Linus' attacks and threw a punch at the oncoming Reed brother. A punch was the last thing he was expecting. However, he figured that a punch from such a physically weak person would do nothing. He was in for a surprise.

The hit connected with the swordsman's jaw, and it certainly did some damage, as the Flux was channeled through the shaman's arm during the attack. Linus began to convulse slightly, but recovered after shaking the attack off.

Aramin smiled, as he had another surprise in store for Linus, which was already under way. Whenever a Flux attack would miss, which several had, they would sink into the ground and leave a black mark. Several marks had already been made, and were forming into a sloppy circle around the two fighters.

By this time, Lloyd too was observing the fight. Looking over at his father, he asked, "How's he fairing?"

"His fighting style is very sloppy, and needs some work. His lack of training is quite evident," Brendan grumbled.

"Well, so much for his boasting earlier. Maybe this will show him the error in his overconfidence," Lloyd chuckled.

Lunging forward, Linus shoulder-checked the shaman, and sent him to the ground. Upon standing up, the tip of Linus' sword came to rest at Aramin's throat.

"This match is mine," Linus grinned.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Aramin replied, being sure to keep his calm. "Take a look around you moron."

Linus did just that. Looking around him, he saw that a complete circle of black marks had been made around him and his opponent, and they were in the very middle.

"You wouldn't. You'd get hit by the attack too," Linus reasoned.

"Ah, but I am used to working with this magic, and I won't be hurt as much as _you," _he laughed.

As Linus attempted to get out of harm's way, Aramin snapped his fingers and released one final Flux spell, which sank into the ground at the very center of the circle.

A large wall of black energy sprang up from the circle and formed a dome over the area, then began to spiral. Energy fizzled and crackled all over the massive dome, which had engulfed Linus and Aramin.

Slowly, the dome began to shrink and eventually turned into a small orb of energy, which eventually dissipated. The two fighters were still there, Linus kneeling on one knee, using his sword for support, and Aramin resting on his hands and knees.

Clearly both combatants were worn out. Seeing that neither could go on, Brendan Reed decided to end the contest. "Since neither of you can go on, this match is a draw. Both of you need to get some rest now."

After taking in some deep breaths, Aramin got to his feet and made for his tent. Linus however, did not get up with the same minimal effort. It took assistance from his brother to get over to his tent, which he was relieved to lay down in.

x-x-x-x-X-x-x-x-x

Erimus had managed to get to the healing wing of the headquarters with ease, avoiding anyone that might be wary of him.

Turning the handle on the door he figured he was in the clear. However, there was no such luck for him. On the other side of the door, a very angry looking cleric stood in wait for the assassin.

"And where did _we _get off to this morning?" she inquired in a very agitated tone.

At this point in time, the assassin's brain failed utterly. The best response he could come up with was, "I- um, back to uh, bathroom?"

Of course, the cleric wasn't born yesterday, and she knew better. "Oh, is that all?" she replied sarcastically. "Well in case you have forgotten, you require more rest!"

Seconds later the assassin was hit with a sleep spell from the cleric's staff. He collapsed to the floor, gone once again into the void of unconsciousness. He was then hefted onto the room's bed by another figure that was in the room.

"Thank you so much for informing me of his activities." The cleric then bowed to the other person in the room.

"Heh, it was no trouble at all. Just be sure to keep a close eye on him," the man responded. Then, after making sure things were well under the cleric's control, the Hurricane stepped out of the room.

-End chapter-

* * *

Draknal: Well, that is the fifth chapter. Wow, I thought I'd _never _get this chapter up! 

Raven: Will another beating encourage you to work harder?

Draknal: No! That won't be necessary!

Guy: -sharpening Wo Dao- Are you sure?

Draknal: Yeah, I'm sure…

Karla: R&R please! He would really appreciate it!


End file.
